Alongside filters that make the user look like comic characters such as Spiderman or Batman, or give them bunny ears, this filter is a themed filter that people can use for their selfies to promote DiD’s latest assisted suicide campaign to change the UK law to enable Noel Conway to end his own life.

Previous attempts by DiD to present the public support for their position were found by the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) to be deeply misleading. Their polling neglected the terminally ill, medical professionals, anyone who did not use the internet (including the elderly), and used leading questions.

This Facebook effort represents a new attempt by DiD to promote its cause to a new generation on social media, having repeatedly lost in its attempts to win through the democratic process in Parliament, most recently in 2015 with a 329:118 defeat in the House of Commons on former MP Rob Marris’s assisted suicide Bill.

At a time when society is more careful than ever about mental health, and suicide prevention, such a move is deeply insensitive and sinister. There is no disclaimer mentioned on the filter, pointing people to suicide support charities such as the Samaritans, or to the possibility of palliative care for those suffering from terminal illness.

Industry Codes of Practice on the issue of suicide prevention mandate care to avoid any encouragement of imitational suicides, yet this decision has been taken without any apparent awareness that this could constitute the normalising of the encouragement of Conway, or those in his situation to try to take their lives or seek others to do so.

In the wake of public tragic acts by artists like Chester Bennington, the importance of pointing people away from suicide and towards hope in life and the help available to them, is especially crucial.

This comes in light of the recent controversy over the appointment of Victoria Butler-Cole, the Chairperson of DiD’s ‘Compassion in Dying’ sister organisation (which helps to bring in £700,826 of DiD’s £1,979,877 income) being made the legal representative for seriously ill little boy, Charlie Gard. The appointment was made despite Victoria Butler-Cole’s support for the active euthanising of patients who are near death.

Please sign this petition asking Facebook to end this potentially abusive filter, and to publicly make clear their support for suicide prevention.

This petition has been created by a citizen or association not affiliated with CitizenGO. CitizenGO is not responsible of its contents.

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Petition to: Chris Cox - Chief Product Officer for Facebook

Dear Mr. Cox,

I wish to register with you my disappointment and concern that Facebook has allowed the launch of a campaign-themed filter by assisted suicide lobby group ‘Dignity in Dying’ (formerly the Voluntary Euthanasia Society) for Facebook camera on Android and iOS.

This associates the user with and promotes Dignity in Dying’s campaign for Noel Conway, a terminally-ill man with Motor Neurone Disease, to be enabled by the UK Courts to take his own life through the provision of lethal drugs by a physician. I ask that you remove this filter, and publicly re-affirm your support for suicide prevention.

Alongside filters that make the user look like comic characters such as Spiderman or Batman, or give them bunny ears, this filter utilises a normally frivolously fun activity on social media that has the effect of normalising support for the suicide of other people.

At a time when society is more careful than ever about mental health, and suicide prevention, such a move is deeply insensitive and sinister. There is no disclaimer mentioned on the filter, pointing people to suicide charities such as the Samaritans, or to the possibility of palliative care for those suffering from terminal illness.

Industry Codes of Practice on the issue of suicide prevention mandate that care be taken to avoid any encouragement of imitational suicides, yet this decision has been taken without any apparent awareness that this could constitute the normalising of the encouragement of Conway, or those in his situation to try to take their lives or seek others to do so.

In the wake of public tragic acts by artists like Chester Bennington, the importance of pointing people away from suicide and towards hope in life and the help available to them, is especially crucial.

Please take action to help those who are psychologically vulnerable by removing this filter, and re-affirming the public support of Facebook for the mental health of its users, and the prevention of those who might be encouraged to end their own lives.